Suction operated clutch



Sept. 20, 1938. R. .1. cURRY SUCTION OPERATED CLUTCH Filed May 2o, 1931" 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 gulf!! f -QQQQQECO l I S14/vento@ Rnbev Jimmy,

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Sept. 20,1938. R, J CURRYA 2,130,877

SUCT ION OPERATED CLUTCH Filed May 2o, 1951 2 sheets-sheet 2 Patented Sept. 20, 1938 PATENT OFFICE SUCTION OPERATED CLUTCH Robert J. Curry, Buifalo, N. Y.: Henry B. Staples,

trusteein bankruptcy of Robert J. Curry, as-

signor, by mesne assignments, of Yone-haii' interest to Bendix Products Corporation, South Bend, Ind.

Application` May 20, 1931, Serial No. 538,840 7 Claims. (Cl. 11m-01) This invention relates to an automobile accessory for automatically operating the clutch lever in accordance with the movements of the throttle in order to dispense with the necessity of manual operation of the clutch pedal during gear shifting cperations and in order to allow the vehicle to coas Heretofore devices have been designed comprising a cylinder, and a piston movable in the cylinder and connected to the clutch pedal, the cylinder being connected to the intake manifold -of the engine whereby suction maintaining in the intake manifold may be eiective to move the piston in the cylinder and thus actuate the clutch. `It has been found that different types of vehicle clutches require engagement and disengagement at different rates in order to insure smooth operation of the vehicle during the periods when the vehicle is being started and when the gears are being shifted. It has also been found that in different vehicles the throttle is controlled by different arrangements of control levers and linkage. For these reasons and others, devices heremeans for regulating the admission of air to the cylinder in accordance with the position of the throttle and also a manual adjustment therefor whereby the return of the clutch operating lever to a normal engaged position may be eiected at varying rates of speed, dependent upon the type of clutch on the particular vehicle.

'I'he invention further comprehends a novel control means for the suction line extending from the engine manifold to the operating cylinder, which comprises a single unit connected by a single passage to the cylinder, whereby the unit may be so adjusted relative to the cylinder that it may be conveniently connected to the throttle linkage of any particular vehicle. It further comprehends means for adjusting the length of piston stroke whereby it may be made to correspond to the 'clutch stroke of any particular vehicle, the same between the clutch operating lever and the opervclutch to cause excessive wear of the clutch throw out bearing.

These and other objects and advantages, including those arising from the specific formation and arrangement of the component parts of the device, will become apparent from the following description of one typical embodiment of the invention, reference being made to the accompanying drawings wherein:-

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of the automatic clutching device of the invention as appliedv to a conventional motor vehicle;

Fig. 2 is a plan view, on a larger scale, of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view through the operating cylinder of the device shown in Figs 1 and 2 Fig. 4 is a vertical cross-section through the valve mechanism of the device;

Fig. 5 is a vertical cross-section taken at right angles to Fig. 4 on line 5-5 thereof;

Fig. 6 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 6`6 of Fig. 5; and

Fig. 7 is a vertical sectional viewthrough a fragmentary portion of the vehicle and showing a conventional clutch mechanism.

The vehicle shown in Fig. 1 is of conventional design, having a frame I0, a motor I I with an intake manifold I2, an ins rument panel I3, and a dash or foot board I4. Beneath the latter and connected to the engine i a clutch having an operating lever I5 with a pe al extremity I6, the lever .being adapted to be moved in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. l, about a horizontal axis I1 of a shaft d to disengage the v clutch and being automatically returnable to the position shown for engagement. The clutch mechanism which may be of any suitable yform illustrated in Fig. 7 as comprising a drive member a and a driven member b adapted to be nor-y lmally held in engagement with the drive mema carburetor I8 having a throttle lever lil/.and a link 2| connecting the lever |9 to a second lever 22 movable with an accelerator or throttle pedal 23, so that upon depression of the pedal 23 the link will be moved forwardly, or to the left as shown in Fig. -1, ,to eiect opening of the throttle, any usual means being provided for returning the pedal to a normal position, and thus closing the throttle, when pressure upon the pedal is released.

The device of the present invention includes a cylinder 30 having inner and outer closed ends 3| and 32 respectively. The inner end of the piston has an opening for receiving an adjusting shank 33 which is threaded andis provided on opposite sides of the closure 3| with securing nuts 34, the shank being pivoted, as shown.

in Figs. 2 and 3, at 35, to bifurcated ends 36 of a bolt 40 which is axed to the vehicle frame I8. A piston 31 'within the cylinder 39 has connected thereto a piston rod 38 which 'extends through the closure 32 and has its outer end 39 threaded for receiving an adjustable nut 4| which retains the end of the detachable clutch lever extension 42 on the rod 38, a spring 43 being disposed about the rod 39 between the closure 32. and the exten- Sion lever 42 for normally retaining the latter against the retaining means 4|.

The extension lever may be of any suitable form, being illustrated as comprising a metal stamping of a substantially U cross section at one end thereof and having the legs of the U clamped together about the lever 15 by means 44. The aperture 45 which receives the piston rod 39 has rounded edges and is of slightly larger diameter than the piston -rod to accommodate slight angular movement of the rod and lever, the engaging face of the r taining nut 4| being likewise rounded for this purposez Connected to the inner end `ot the cylinder is the unitary control valve means illustrated in Figs. 4, 5 and 6. These include a valve body 46, having a threaded extension 41 for attachment to the cylinder 3|).A A passage 48 is provided through the extension 41 into the interior of the valve body, terminating in a shoulder portion 49 supporting a valve seat 5|. Communicating with the opening through the valve seat is a passage 52 terminating in a nipple 53 to which is attached a suitable conduit 54 extending to the intake manifold l2 of the vehicle. Passage of iluid through the passages 48, 52, 54 is controlled by a valve 55, having a stem 56 extending through the valve body and terminating ina head 51, a coiled spring. 58 being disposed between the head and the valve body for normally holding thevalve against its seat 49. A bellcrank lever having an arm 59 normally engaging the head 51 is pivoted at 6| to the walls 62 of a slotted extension 63 of the valve body, and has its other arm 64 pivotally connected at 65 toa control rod or link 66, which extends through and has sliding engagement with a clip 61 aiilxed to the throttle link 2|, a head 68 being formed on the end of the rod 66 for abutment by the clamp 61 when the throttle control link moves to its extreme throttle closing position or to the right as the device appears in Figs. 1, 2 and 3.

Extending from the opening 46 as shown in Fig. 6 is a passage 69, this passage `being superposed in broken lines'in Fig. 5, which terminates in a valve seat 1| and communicating with an atmospheric vent opening 12. A valve 13 adapted to seat upon fthe seat 1| has high pitch screw link 2|.

ing 15 which is inserted in and forms a part of the body 46. The outer end of the valve 13 is headed by a removable member 16 and is provided with utes for receiving, in a plurality of angular positions about its axis, a lever 18, the outer end of the lever being provided with a bear- ,ing member 19 and clamping means 8| for piv' otally connecting a release rod or link 82. The latter extends through a second clip 83 affixed to the throttle link 2| and has slidable movement relative thereto limited by a pair of stop members 84, one of which is located on each side of the clip for abutment thereby in-a manner to be more fully described hereinafter.

Clamped between the bifurcated ends 85 of the valve body extension 63 is a tubular housing l the accelerator pedal 23, it will be moved by conventional spring means (not shown) to throttle closing position. Here, as shown in Fig. 1, the link 2| will be in its extreme position after movement to the right, and clip -61 will be in abutment with the head 68 of the exible control rod or link 66. The latter, by means of bell crank lever 64 will hold open valve 55 against the resistance of spring 58, so that suction maintaining in the intake manifold I2 will be eiective through conduit 54 and passages 52, 48 to reduce the duid pressure within cylinder 36 to less than atmospheric. phericl pressure will be effective' inv the cylinder on the opposite side of the piston rby reason of a vent'bpening 9| in the cylinder cover 32. Accordingly the piston 31 will be moved inwardly into abutment with shank 33, thus moving the clutch lever 15 in a counter-clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. l, to cause disengagement of the clutch.

` When the pedal 23 is depressed. to cause link 2| to move forwardly to open the throttle, the clip 61 will be moved out of abutment with head .68 or link 66, allowing the spring 58 to return the valve' 55 to its seat -and thereby destroying communication between the intake manifold and the cylinder. Forward movement of the link 21| will alsocause clip 83 to abut stop 84 on rod 82 and move the rod forwardly to eiect counterclockwise movement-of lever 18 as viewed in' Fig. 2.` Thus valve 13 will ,be opened allowing air to enter the cylinder through vent opening 12, 69, dissipating the partial vacuum in the cylinder and allowing spring 43.and the clutch spring to return clutch lever 16. to the normal position, shown in Fig. l, in which the clutch-is engaged.

@It will be understood that any desired rate of return movement of the piston 31 may be obtained by adjusting the angular relationship of the lever 18 with the valve 1 3, such adjustment being eected by removing the member 16 and the lever 18 from the valve 13 and by replacing the lever 18 in a diilerent angular relation to, about the axis of,.the `valve 13, and also by adjusting the position of .the clip 83 upon the Thus, the vvalve 13 may be either partially or entirely closed when the throttle is in closed or idlingposition and may be opened either upon initial opening position of the throttle or Simultaneously air under atmos 2,130,877 during medial phases oi. throttle-opening movement of the link 2|-, depending upon the characteristics peculiar to the motor vehicle to which the device is attached andthe option of the operator or owner of such vehicle. Likewise the rate vat which' the clutch is disengaged or at which the piston 31 is drawn inwardly to the piston 31 may be varied by adjusting the clip 61 longitudinally `along the link 2|.

It will be understood that during the operation of a vehicle having this attachment, release of pressure upon the throttle pedal will cause disengagement of the clutch, so that gears may be changed or shifted without manualdepression of thelclutch pedal, and that upon acceleration ofthe motor or opening of the throttle the clutch will be automatically engaged. In addition to its utility in relieving the driver of manually depressing the clutch when shifting gears the device will also function to allow the vehicle to ,free wheel whenever the throttle is closed or pressure is released from the accelerator pedal.

In the event that it should become desirable to disconnect the device from operation the handle 88 attached to the control wire 81 may be moved to the right, as the device is viewed in Fig. 1, thus effecting clockwise rotation of the bell crank lever, as it is viewed in Fig. 2, and thereby holding the lever against any movement by the link or rod v66 which might tend to open communication between the pianifold and the cylinder. When, during operation of the vehicle the handle 88 is retracted, the vehicle will ac cordingly function in the usual manner, necessitating depression of the clutch pedal during gear shifting operations. When, at such times, pressure on the accelerator pedal 23 is released, the link 2| will not ca use movement of the bell crank lever 59, 64, since the rod or link 66 is sufficiently exible to accommodate such slight movement.

It will be understood that when the vehicle clutch pedal is thus manually operated the friction of the piston 31 with the walls of the cylinder 3 need not be overcome by the operator, since the lever 42 may move inwardly relative to the piston rod against the compression of the spring 43. The latter has the additional utility of normally retaining the clutch pedal in full clutchengaged position so that all drag is removed from the clutch throw out bearing.

In the application of the device to a motor vehicle, the cylinder 30 may be adjusted longitudinally of the shank 334 by turning the nuts 34 so that the inward limiting position of the piston 31 within the cylinder maybe regulated, and by this adjustment together with adjustment of the nut 4| upon the yrod 38, the stroke of the piston 31 may be regulated to conform to theA throw of the vehicle clutch. The shank 33 has the additional utility of .at all times preventing the piston 31 from moving to such positiontas to overlie and close Vthe passage 48, which might result in the clutch lever being lodged in clutch-disengaging position.

It'will be understood that the device is readily adapted for mounting upon different types of vehicles, since the cylinder 30 may be turned l about the axis of the shank 33 to bring the valve without altering such linkage.

bring the lever arms 18 and 64 into a position f convenient for attachment to such linkage, as 2|, withwhich the vehicle may be provided It will also be understood that the terms cylinder and piston as herein used comprehend` generally any types of iluid pressure operable means, such as those of the cylinder and diaphragm or vane types, for eiecting mechanical movement, and further that the specific embodiment of the invention herein described is merely illustrative of the principles of the-invention, which may be applied, within the scope of this invention, to other devices which have other structural characteristics and arrangeing through the cylinder, an extension lever attached to the clutch operating lever and having an aperture receiving the rod, adjustable means upon the rodfor engaging the extension lever to cause it to move with the rod, and a spring between the cylinder and the extension lever for normally retaining the extension lever against the' adjustable engaging means.

2. A clutch operating accessory for vehicles, comprising an extension lever and means for detachably connecting it to a clutch operating lever -of the vehicle, a cylinder adapted to be mounted upon the vehicle, a piston in the cylinder, and a rigid link connecting the extension lever and the piston, said link beingr movable relative to the lever, means for limiting relative movement of the llever and link, and resilient means normally holding the lever and link in limit position.

3. A clutch operating accessory for vehicles having a clutch control lever, comprising a. cylinder, a shank extending into the inner end of the cylinder and adjustable longitudinally therein, pivotal means for connecting the shankrto the vehicle, a piston in the cylinder and a rigid link connecting the piston to the clutch control lever.

4. A clutch operating accessory for vehicles having a clutch control lever, comprising a cylinder, a shank extending into the inner end of the cylinder and adjustable longitudinally therein, pivotal means for connecting the shank to the vehicle, a piston in the cylinder and a. piston `rod slidably engaging the clutch control lever, means on the rod engageable with the lever when the piston and rod move inwardly, said means being adjustable longitudinally of the rod, and a spring for normally urging the means into engagement with the lever.

5. A clutch operating accessory for vehicles having a throttle control comprising a cylinder, a piston movable in the cylinder and means for connecting the piston to the clutch, a conduit connecting the cylinder to a source of uid pressure, and valve means mounted upon the cylinder for controlling the passage of fluid through said conduit, and control linkage connecting the valve means to the throttle control whereby the passage of fluid may be lcontrolled by said throttle controlr means for adjusting s aid cylinder angularlyabout its longitudinal axis and means for adjusting said valve means angularly about an axis substantially normal to said nrst-mentioned axis.

6. A clutch operating device for vehicles comprising uid pressure operated means for moving the4 clutch to disengaged position, a conduit connecting said means to a source of suction, a valve Ioperated means for operating the clutch, a conduit connecting they means to a source of suction,

a valve normally. closing said conduit to fluid passage,'means operable by the throttle control for openingk said valve, means including a valve for admitting atmospheric air to said iirst-mentioned means, said last mentioned valve being manuallyadjustable to vary the limits of iuid passage through the means for admitting air, and

K means connecting said last mentioned valve to said throttle control* for opening and closing movement thereby within the limits determined by the manual adjustment.

ROBERT J. CURRY. 

